Frequently Asked Questions

Gas Licensing

Plumbing Licensing

Oil Licensing

Electrical Licensing

HVAC Licensing

Enrollment

Gas Licensing Questions

"How do I become a New Hampshire licensed gas fitter?"

New technicians must first become Trainees. A trainee is like an apprentice; the state requires that new technicians must have a trainee card to be able to work with the gas-fired systems. This card also starts the documentation of the field hours needed for the licensing process.

"How do I get a Trainee's card?"

A Trainee needs supervision of a licensed professional while working on the systems. When a new technician starts working for a company, the company should have some one to take on the responsibilities of becoming the trainee's supervisor. To do so, both will need to fill out the states application and submit it to the Department of safety, division of Fire Safety. All the application requirements and fees must be included, as described on the first page of the application packet.

NH Gas License Levels:

Gas Piping Installer

Gas Equipment Installer

Gas Service Technician

Gas Piping Installer Requirements:

60 Hours of Education

Minimum of 1,000 field hours of on-the-job experience (500 hours can be oil heating experience!)

Gas Equipment Installer Requirements:

100 Hours of Education (this includes the Gas Piping education)

Minimum of 1,000 field hours of on-the-job experience (500 hours can be oil heating experience!)

Gas Service Technician Requirements:

140 Hours of Education (this includes the Piping and Equipment Installer education)

Minimum of 2,000 field hours of on-the-job experience (750 hours can be oil heating experience!)

with any questions about your licensing needs at mechanical.info@dos.nh.gov or 603-223-4289

"Ialready have a gas license from out of state, how do I get a New Hampshire one? "

The technician will have to call and talk with the NH Department of Safety, Division of Fire Safety office of the State Fire Marshal, and they will determine if the license is reciprocal in the state of NH. If it is, the technician will most likely have to take the NH State exam.

"Where can I take the New Hampshire state exam?"

Right here in Manchester at our facility, we utilize a company that enrolls people for the exams on line and then they come to our location to take it. The testers can choose what day they wish to take the exam, as long as it is within our office hours. The exam is a timed, 100 question, open book, computerized exam. Testers have three hours to complete the exam; can only use the NFPA 54 2009 codebook. No Phones or other materials are allowed in the testing room.

Testing fees and other requirements are posted on the testing website, click the link below to enroll!

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Please give one to two weeks notice of your testing date. Anything submitted within 72 hours of selected testing date is at risk of being denied.

​Students in the Gas License Code Combo will need to test after completion of each course to move on into the next. Testing fees are not included in the tuition.

Click on this website to enroll for a testing time!​​​

"How do I renew my New Hampshire license?"

The NH gas license expires in two years and on the last day of the birthday month of the license holder. The technician will need to have a total of six hours of continuing education, 2 three hour code classes. The technician will then turn in a copy of the certificates, the renewal form and renewal fee to the state.

NOTE: The requirements changed as of July 1st 2015, if any technicians did all 5 hours of related prior to this date, the related hours can be used. Any technician that did not fulfill the 5 hours before July 1st 2015 will need to do the two 3 hour code sessions (representing one per year).

Our gas renewal courses are set up so the technician can receive all six hours in one day or choose to do only one of the three hour courses. You can enroll for these classes on our Course list page, by selecting the Enroll today on that class description.

NORA stands for National Oilheat Research Alliance. This non-profit organization sets the national standards for the Oil heat industry.

They have three levels of certification:

Bronze Certification- level one designed for beginner's to learn and execute fundamental skills.(Everyone starts at this level)

Silver Certification- Level two for technical competence established through training, a test and field experience.

Gold Certification - Highest level is established through previous participation in the Silver Certification program with additional competency in energy efficiency.

Once you become a NORA Silver or Gold Certified Service Technician you must complete 24 hours of continuing education (CEUs) every five years to maintain accreditation.

Our Oil Heat course incorporates the Silver level book and students will be eligible to take the Bronze Certification exam at the end of the course. This exam is not mandatory for the course, but is highly recommended; it has an additional charge of $50.

Click the NORA logo to learn more about the organization!

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Plumbing Licensing Questions

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"How do I become a New Hampshire licensed Plumber?"

New technicians must first become an Apprentice. The state requires that new technicians must have an Apprentice card to be able to assist in the installation of plumbing and drainage. This card also starts the documentation of the field hours needed for the licensing process.

"How do I get an Apprentice card?"

An Apprentice needs supervision of a licensed professional while working. When a new technician starts working for a company, the company should have some one to take on the responsibilities of becoming the apprentice's supervisor. To do so, both will need to fill out the states application and submit it to the Department of safety, division of Fire Safety. All the application requirements and fees must be included, as described on the first page of the application packet.

"I already have a plumbing license from out of state, how do I get a New Hampshire one?"

The technician will have to call and talk with the NH Department of Safety, Division of Fire Safety office of the State Fire Marshal, and they will determine if the license is reciprocal in the state of NH. If it is, the technician will most likely have to take the NH State exam.

"How do I renew my New Hampshire license?"

The NH Plumbing license expires in two years and on the last day of the birthday month of the license holder. The technician will need to have a total of six hours of continuing education, 2 three hour code classes. The technician will then turn in a copy of the certificates, the renewal form and renewal fee to the state.

Our facility utilizes the Professional Plumbing Seminars to host the NH Plumbing continuing education. They come to our facility every other Saturday each month. For their dates and tuition rates please click below for their website.

HVAC Licensing Questions

"How do I become a New Hampshire Licensed HVAC Technician?"

The State of NH does not have a license for the A/C technicians; however if the systems require any sort of Gas connection, the technician will need a Gas License to work on it. Click the Gas Licensing tab to learn more about the licensing process.

Technicians will need to have their EPA certification to be able to work with regulated refrigerants. This certification is National recognized and a requirement in many other states. Technicians will need this to purchase the chemicals needed and is highly looked upon in the state of New Hampshire.

"What is the EPA Exam?"This is a certification exam that is commonly known as 608 Certification. Section 608 of the US Federal Clean Air Act requires all persons who work with regulated refrigerants to be certified. We provide this exam at our location but it is corrected by the ESCO Institute. Grades and certification card may take a few weeks to be returned to the tester.

Universal -The successful passing of all four sections of the examination.

Students taking the HVAC or HVAC/R course will be prepped for this exam throughout the course. Students are not required to take this exam but we strongly suggest it.

Exams can be taken at our facility. We always have exams on hand and you can sechedule the exam during office hours.

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Click on the ESCO logo for more informtion on the ESCO Institute, to log in for test results, or if you need a replacement card. Some pratice exams can be found on this website as well.

Electrical Licensing Questions

"How do I become a New Hampshire licensed Electrician?"

New technicians must first become an Apprentice. Any person who is engaged in learning and assisting in making electrical installations under the direct supervision of a master or journeyman electrician must have an apprentice card to do so. This card also starts the documentation of the state regulated hours needed for the licensing process.

"How do I get an Apprentice card?"

An Apprentice needs supervision of a licensed professional while working. When a new technician starts working for a company, the company should have some one to take on the responsibilities of becoming the apprentice's supervisor. To do so, both will need to fill out the states application and submit it to the NH Office of Professional Licensure and Certification, NH Electricians' Board. All the application requirements and fees must be included, as described throughout the application.

"I already have an electrical license from out of state, how do I get a New Hampshire one?"

The technician will have to call and talk with the NH Office of Professional Licensure and Certification, NH Electricians' Board, and they will determine if the license is reciprocal in the state of NH. If it is, the technician will most likely have to take the NH State exam.

"How do I renew my New Hampshire license?"

Journeyman and Masters must renew their license every three years, ending on the last day of their birth month. Apprentice will need to renew each year, providing proof of education and field requirements for that year.

When the State of New Hampshire changes the codebook to the newest edition of the NFPA 70, licenses personnel will need to take a 15-hour code review and submit proof of completion. Electricians have 12 months from January 1, of the year following the issuance of the adopted edition of the code, to completed these requirements. Failure to do so will result in denial of license renewal and could result in having an "Invalid" license and will be treated as a "Lapsed" license.

Our school only provides this course with in this 12-month time frame. The course will take place on one weekend, Saturday and Sunday, for the total of 15 hours. For dates of this course please select it on our course list, or check out our current catalog.

Enrollment Questions

2. Submit it by email, mail, or an online form (if there is one available)

3. Make a downpayment toward the course (can be as low as $100 or as high at the full tuition)

4. Come to class!

Our enrollment process is that simple. We want to make your learning experience comfortable and put all your focus on the course materials. Some courses may request more entrance requirements than others due to the state regulations, but our only mandatory requiring is that applicants must be at least 18 years of age and hold a High School Diploma or equivalency.

We will also look at any previous education you might have to better place you in the proper course, we do not have placement exams.

​Tuition Policies and school regulations are listed under the Enrollment Form tab on the top. This is all the term and conditions that we expect our students to abide by.

Here is a brief over view of our terms:

Conduct: Respect your self and others, any disorderly behavior is not tolerated. This includes excessive tardiness or absents, disrupting the classes, violation to safety rules and listening to instructors. We pride on having a clean environment for our students to come and learn their trade.

Grievance: If anything prevents a student from coming to class they can come to us for make up work and time. Some classes are time restricted and the student will still be responsible for the completion of their hours to pass the course. These classes are the state regulated ones.

Refunds: Students that cancel the course prior to the starting date will receive a full refund. Anytime between the first day and 50% of the course the student will receive a prorated amount back. If the student has not fulfilled all payments, the prorated amount would be the difference owed. After the 50% there will be no refund issued.

Books can only be refunded if they are like new, we only provide new books to our students so we can not take back used books.

Leave of Absences and Notice of Withdrawal: Students must contact the school if they wish to drop out of a class. Without a letter, email, or phone call, the student will be responsible for the full tuition. The office spends a lot of time keeping records, students and teachers on track, with out notice we will make phone calls, send letters and emails to reach out to the absentee causing us to use much of our time that could be used other wise. Please help us by notifying the school if you wish to discontinue for any reason at all. We are here to help!

Reentrance: If a student wishes to come back after a leave or dismissal, they will need to come speak with Dean, our Director, and receive his approval.

Grading system: We use a pass or fail system for most of our classes. Teachers will provide exams, written and lab tests, for all the classes. Letter grades will not be given unless asked for. Instructors will have this information, often times it will not be reported to the main office.

Graduation Requirements: This may vary from class to class. State governed classes will require the fulfillment of time needed to receive a certificate. Instructors that grade with exams require a 78% or higher to receive a certificate. Some classes have both requirements. This information will be printed on the class syllabus and handed out the first day of class.

Student Records: We only release records when a student allows us to. This is initialed on the enrollment sheet, and allows us to speak to companies on the behalf of the student, provide the state with information and will not be used to for solicitation other than to benefit the student.

The payment plans basically brake down the total tuition into manageable amount that should be paid regularly. The "Down payment" is the registration, books and lab fees. This allows the student's seat to be reserved, he or she can take home the books available and they will have a constant low rate to pay weekly. The "Weekly Payment" is the remaining balance divided up over a duration of the course. Sometimes it is only a partial duration of the class and other times it is the full amount of weeks of the course. We try to make coming to classes affordable and allow us to be able to provide the materials needed for the course.

Payment plans can be flexible.

If a student makes the down payment and then wishes to pay the balance, that is more than ok!

If the student makes a down payment of $100 for the registration, and can not make the remaining balance of the down payment before the course starts, they can pay more during the week to catch up if approved by the office staff.

If the student falls behind on weekly payments, he or she will not receive a certificate until fulfilled or will be asked to discontinue the course until payment can be made.